Greetings from Southeastern Michigan, where over 500,000 households lost power and they say 95 percent of us will have it back…by Sunday. So yeah, watching Friday’s six NHL games might be a little tricky for the people in my environs, but if you are out there able to play DFS hockey, here are some players to target, and to avoid, for your lineups.
GOALIE
Carter Hart, PHI vs. MON ($30): Hart’s performance has been uneven this year, but he has more upside than your typical goalie with a .909 save percentage. At home against the Canadiens, he’s got a real opportunity for success. Montreal has averaged only 2.67 goals and 27.8 shots on net per contest.
GOALIE TO AVOID
Filip Gustavsson, MIN at TOR ($33): Gustavsson is getting the start Friday, and he has a 2.11 GAA and .928 save percentage. However, he is starting Friday after his team also played Thursday. The Maple Leafs have averaged 3.45 goals per game, and have a healthy Auston Matthews which hasn’t always been the case, so this is a tricky situation for Gustavsson.
CENTER
Brock Nelson, NYI vs. LOS ($21): Nelson is not taking a backseat to Bo Horvat, even if he was a hot trade acquisition. He has 19 points over his last 15 games. The Kings are far from home on the second leg of a back-to-back, and Jonathan Quick and his .878 save percentage will likely be in net.
CENTER TO AVOID
Anze Kopitar, LOS at NYI ($20): The flip side of my Nelson recommendation. Kopitar is on the second leg of a back-to-back, as you have presumably intuited, and instead of facing a goalie like Quick, he’ll likely face Ilya Sorokin. The Russian goalie has a 2.39 GAA and .925 save percentage.
WING
Carter Verhaeghe, FLA vs. BUF ($22): If you can quietly have 30 goals in 59 games, Verhaeghe has done it. He’s also done it with a 15.8 shooting percentage right in line with his career number. The Sabres, who are in the bottom 10 in GAA, are on the second leg of a back-to-back as well.
Owen Tippett, PHI vs. MON ($17): If Travis Konecny is out again, Tippett will likely be the beneficiary. Case in point, in Philly’s last game Tippett played 20:02, including 4:34 on the power play, and he had a goal on six shots on net. More playing time is a good thing against the Canadiens, and listed starting goalie Jake Allen. Allen has a 3.47 GAA and .894 save percentage.
WINGS TO AVOID
Kirill Kaprizov, MIN at TOR ($32): With several teams in action, and with Kaprizov’s lofty salary, I don’t want to risk him Friday. After all, the Wild are on the road for the second leg of a back-to-back. Plus, Ilya Samsonov has a 2.40 GAA and .915 save percentage, and the Maple Leafs have only allowed 29.0 shots on net per contest.
Mikko Rantanen, COL at WPG ($29): Apparently today I am down on some truly elite wingers. Hey, it’s about potential value, and this matchup is a real tough one. Connor Hellebuyck has a 2.39 GAA and .925 save percentage, and the Jets have the second-ranked penalty kill. A full 23 of Rantanen’s 66 points have come with the extra man.
DEFENSE
Brandon Montour, FLA vs. BUF ($20): I appreciate Florida caring about DFS players who like a defenseman who gets a ton of power-play minutes. Surely that’s why both Montour and Aaron Ekblad play on the first power-play unit, right? Montour has averaged 4:14 per game with the extra man and has 19 power-play points. The Sabres have a bottom-five penalty kill, and they are on the second leg of a back-to-back as well.
Tony DeAngelo, PHI vs. MON ($16): DeAngelo is no slouch on the power play himself. He’s averaged 3:15 a night with the extra man and has 15 power-play points in 54 games. The Canadiens rank 28th on the penalty kill as well, making this matchup conducive to the mercurial defenseman.
DEFENSE TO AVOID
Thomas Chabot, OTT at CAR ($17): The Hurricanes keep opposing offenses in check. They’ve allowed a paltry 26.5 shots on net per contest. On top of that, Carolina has the fifth-ranked penalty kill, and 16 of Chabot’s 31 points have come on the power play.
Drew Doughty, LOS at NYI ($17): It’s the same story as with Kopitar. We have a veteran player on the road for the second night of a back-to-back and an opposing goalie with a 2.39 GAA and .925 save percentage. However, you can additionally throw in the face the Islanders have the sixth-ranked penalty kill.
